Damon Albarn among stars who defy Islamist threat at Mali music festival

Songhoy Blues and organiser Toumani Diabate among acts celebrating country's
rich musical heritage in defiance of extremist groups and state of emergency

Blur front man Damon Albarn Photo: Rex Features

By AFP

11:36PM GMT 01 Feb 2016

Two months after a deadly jihadist attack on a major hotel, Mali's capital Bamako has sought to reboot the country's once-famed cultural scene with a festival featuring some of the biggest names in African and world music.

The Festival Acoustik, organised by top Malian musician Toumani Diabate, welcomed international names such as Damon Albarn, the Blur frontman, and African stars including Nigerian drummer Tony Allen.

Among the visitors to the festival was Gary Dourdan, an American actor best known for his role in the CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) cop dramas.

Malian acts at the festival included Songhoy Blues, a group from the country's troubled north helped to prominence by Albarn - a regular visitor to Mali, who collaborated with Diabate and other local artists on a 2002 album.

Mali trooper assist a hostage, centre, to leave the scene, from the Radisson Blu hotel to safety after gunmen attacked the hotel in Bamako, Mali Photo: AP Photo/Harouna Traore

"In 2012 when the jihadists invaded the north of Mali, it forced my friends to flee to the south. So they came here and we had the idea of creating the group," said Allou Toure, the band's singer.

"For us it was a way of resisting. Playing in Bamako, where we find ourselves, it gives us comfort. Our dream is to return home one day, to bring life back to the suffering people."